A Powerful Week of Action for Immigration Reform!

By NAPAWF News

Published: Friday, November 15th, 2013

Together, we can show Congress once and for all that immigration reform is alive and well — not just in Wisconsin, California, Texas, Ohio, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and Washington, but all over the country!

Last week, women have been showing Congress that immigration reform can’t wait and that a vote against immigration reform is a vote against women. Scroll down for a recap of the what we’ve done this week to show Congress that women and families aren’t going to stop until we win fair immigration reform.

Help us keep up the momentum — call your Representative at (800) 490-2010 and urge them to support immigration reform that keeps families together and treats women fairly!

California

Nearly 200 women rallied outside Representative McCarthy’s. McCarthy refused to meet, so 13 women — the Baker’s (field) Dozen! — waited in the lobby for him to change his mind even though they were not allowed food or drink while inside. After 10 hours of waiting, McCarthy came out of his home with his wife to the office at 11pm and met with the women for about half an hour. McCarthy didn’t agree to sign a pledge to lead the way for immigration reform that’s fair to women, but he told the women he was serious about solving the problem.

Washington State

33 women, including NAPAWF chapter leader Priscilla Kyu, were arrested at the Republican Party Headquarters in Bellevue after refusing to leave the premises. The women sang “we shall overcome” and chanted “the people united shall never be defeated!” as the police arrived to arrest them. In response to the spirited protest, the Washington GOP office issued a statement saying they supported immigration reform, to which the women replied: “We need action, not words!”

Ohio

After a rally calling on Representatives Joyce and Jordan to support a fair and just immigration reform, a crowd of women took over an intersection in downtown Cleveland near the Federal Building. Nine women including labor and faith leaders were arrested for blocking the intersection and for shining a light on the need for immigration reform that’s fair to women and keeps families together.

Florida

70 people, 65 of them women, rallied to demand a meeting with Representative Mario Diaz-Balart. Rather than meeting with them, Diaz-Balart’s staff called the police who locked the door to the office building, barred their entrance, and said that only 50 people would be allowed to outside. The 50 who were allowed to stay rallied until Rosana Araujo, an undocumented immigrant and domestic worker who has lived and worked in Diaz-Balart’s district for 10 years, was allowed into the building to deliver a statement to his staffers. She came back out in tears, reporting that the staffers said Diaz-Balart would not sign onto HR15 because he wanted to advance his own bill, and that people from all the protesting organizations were not welcome back at their office. In response, the women are planning to return.

Tennessee

35 members of the TIRRC Women’s Committee raised a balloon banner outside of Representative Marsha Blackburn’s office in Franklin, TN. Blackburn’s staffer initially refused to meet with them, but eventually cracked open the door and allowed them to deliver their message. The women demanded that Rep. Blackburn withdraw her support for the SAFE Act, explained the impact it would have on women and families, and demanded that she instead embrace immigration reform that treats women and families fairly.

North Carolina

35 Women visited Representative Pittenger’s office and delivered a heart filled with photographs of women and children from his district who are impacted by our failed immigration system. The delivery was led by women whose husbands are currently facing deportation. His staffers, though a little shocked at the numbers of women suddenly filling their office, received them and thanked them for coming and said they would deliver the heart and their message to Rep. Pittenger. This action was fully organized by 5 undocumented women.

Georgia

35 women including mothers and their children marched to the Republican Party headquarters in Atlanta and delivered their representatives a balloon banner with a message — it’s time for their party to take responsibility to advance immigration reform!

Texas

50 people rallied outside Texas Republican Headquarters in Odessa, TX after a meeting with the Republican members of Congress and their staff to urge them to push their party leaders to move forward on fair immigration reform. The rally featured all women speakers, testimony from undocumented women, and a DREAMer from a mixed status family carrying a balloon banner that read: “Women to Republicans: fair immigration reform now!”

Wisconsin

Dozens of people rallied outside Rep. Paul Ryan’s office in Racine, urging him to take action on immigration reform that’s fair to women and keeps families together. 12 women, including three generations of the Anguiano family — daughter Cecilia, mother Sofia, and grandmother Luz Maria took over the street in front of his office. The women were issued citations and vowed to continue to fight for immigration reform that allows families to be together.